KWBN

KWBN is a religious television station licensed to serve Honolulu, Hawaii, in the United States. The station broadcasts on channel 44 and carries programming associated with the Daystar Television Network. Its direct owner is Ho'ona'auao Community Television, which operates as a subsidiary of Word of God Fellowship, the parent organization of Daystar. KWBN's transmission facilities are located in Akupu, Hawaii. The station began broadcasting in 1999 and is one of several religious television outlets serving the Honolulu market. Other religious stations identified in the market include KWHE, KAAH-TV, KALO, KKAI, and KUPU. KWBN therefore operates within a concentrated local religious-broadcasting environment rather than as a general-interest commercial network affiliate. KWBN's channel allocation is reserved for non-commercial use. That designation shapes its operating model: the station relies on religious programming, educational content, paid programming arrangements, and viewer donations rather than conventional commercial advertising as its primary sources of support. Its schedule is consequently centered on faith-based television supplied through the Daystar organization and related program providers. The station has also undergone two important technical changes associated with the transition from analog to digital broadcasting and the federal repacking of television spectrum. In 2009, KWBN moved from channel 44 to channel 43 when its analog service ended and digital broadcasting was implemented. Following the Federal Communications Commission's broadcast incentive auction, the station was assigned a further relocation to RF channel 26. That move was completed in December 2018, ahead of the FCC's April 2019 deadline. KWBN's identity is closely tied to local transmission of Daystar programming rather than to a broad standalone consumer brand. Its role is to provide a Honolulu-area outlet for religious and educational television under a non-commercial allocation, supported by the infrastructure and organizational structure of Daystar's parent ministry. Publicly available reference material provides limited information about individual executives, detailed programming titles, audience metrics, and financial performance.

KWBN is a religious television station serving the Honolulu, Hawaii market. It began broadcasting in 1999 and was established as one of the religious outlets operating within the Honolulu television landscape. Its programming is affiliated with the Daystar Television Network, and the station is owned by Ho'ona'auao Community Television, a subsidiary of Word of God Fellowship, the organization behind Daystar. From its launch, KWBN's operating identity was shaped by its non-commercial channel allocation. Unlike commercial stations that generally depend on conventional spot advertising, stations using reserved non-commercial allocations must structure their support around eligible programming and nonprofit or ministry-related funding models. KWBN's support base includes paid religious programs, educational programming, and donations from viewers. This model links the station's local broadcast service to Daystar's broader religious television operation. KWBN is one of several religious stations identified as serving the Honolulu market. The presence of multiple faith-oriented stations gives the outlet a specialized position within the local media system. Its principal function is not to develop a large independent entertainment schedule, but to transmit religious and educational content to viewers in and around Honolulu through the Daystar connection. The station's technical history reflects broader changes in United States television broadcasting. In 2009, when analog television service was discontinued, KWBN moved from channel 44 to channel 43 as part of the analog-to-digital conversion. This change altered the station's RF assignment while preserving its role in the Honolulu market. A second frequency change followed the FCC's broadcast incentive auction. In April 2017, the FCC announced that KWBN would be moved to RF channel 26 as television spectrum was reorganized. The relocation was completed in December 2018, several months before the April 12, 2019 deadline cited by the FCC. The move placed KWBN within the post-auction channel plan and represented the latest documented major technical transition in the station's history. KWBN transmits from facilities in Akupu, Hawaii. Public reference material does not provide a detailed account of its founding personnel, station managers, ratings, revenue, or individual program schedule. The available record instead emphasizes its ownership structure, Daystar affiliation, non-commercial funding environment, Honolulu service area, and successive digital-frequency changes.

• 2018

  RF channel 26 relocation completed

  [1]KWBNen.wikipedia.org

  KWBN completes its move to RF channel 26 in December.

• 2017

  FCC announces post-auction channel reassignment

  [1]KWBNen.wikipedia.org

  The FCC announces that KWBN will relocate to RF channel 26 as part of the broadcast incentive auction spectrum repacking process.

• 2009

  Analog-to-digital channel transition

  [1]KWBNen.wikipedia.org

  KWBN moves from channel 44 to channel 43 when its analog service ends and digital broadcasting is implemented.

• 1999

  KWBN begins broadcasting

  [1]KWBNen.wikipedia.org

  KWBN signs on as a religious television station serving the Honolulu, Hawaii television market.

A Honolulu-area non-commercial religious television station serving as a local broadcast outlet for the Daystar Television Network.

• Religious television · 1999

  Daystar religious programming

  Faith-based television supplied through the Daystar Television Network and transmitted by KWBN to viewers in the Honolulu market. The programming forms the station's core service and connects its local broadcast identity to Daystar's wider religious media operation.

• Educational television

  Educational programming

  Educational content carried within KWBN's non-commercial broadcast framework. The available reference material identifies educational fare as part of the station's programming and support model, although it does not specify individual series or producers.

• Paid programming

  Paid religious programs

  Religious programs supported through paid programming arrangements. These programs are part of the station's non-commercial operating model, alongside educational content and viewer donations.

• 2017

  Acceptance of post-incentive-auction RF reassignmentOther

  Background

  The FCC reorganized television spectrum after the broadcast incentive auction and announced new RF assignments for affected stations.

  Action taken

  KWBN was assigned RF channel 26 and prepared to relocate from its existing digital channel.

  Aftermath

  The relocation was completed in December 2018, ahead of the FCC's April 2019 deadline.

  Source

• 2009

  Transition from analog channel 44 to digital channel 43Other

  Background

  The United States television system was completing its nationwide transition from analog broadcasting to digital transmission.

  Action taken

  KWBN vacated channel 44 and began operating on channel 43 after the analog-to-digital conversion.

  Aftermath

  The station continued serving the Honolulu market as a digital religious broadcaster.

  Source

• 2018

  KWBN completes relocation to RF channel 26[1]KWBNen.wikipedia.org

  Regulation · Other

  KWBN completed its move to RF channel 26 in December 2018, before the FCC's stated April 2019 deadline.

• 2017

  FCC assigns KWBN a post-auction relocation to RF channel 26[1]KWBNen.wikipedia.org

  Regulation

  The Federal Communications Commission announced that KWBN would relocate to RF channel 26 as a consequence of the broadcast incentive auction and resulting spectrum repacking.

• 2009

  KWBN completes move from analog channel 44 to digital channel 43[1]KWBNen.wikipedia.org

  Other

  KWBN left channel 44 and moved to channel 43 as part of the completion of the United States analog-to-digital television transition.

1. 1KWBNen.wikipedia.org